Smoking and Heart Disease

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Despite this fact, an estimated 400,000 Americans die each year as a result of smoking. Smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease, and more than doubles your risk of having a heart attack.

Inhaled tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen available to your heart, as well as the rest of your body. The reduction of oxygen available to the heart can result in angina (chest pain) during exertion. Smoking causes your arteries to narrow and causes the build up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries, which is a condition called “atherosclerosis”. This build-up or hardening of the arteries reduces the blood flow throughout the body and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

The Effects of Nicotine

Nicotine is a subtle but powerful drug. Many smokers use cigarettes because of the temporary psychological effects that nicotine provides. These may include improved concentration, reduced tiredness, and an increased sense of self-control. The physically harmful long-term consequences of smoking, however, should not be traded for these short-term effects.

How Can I Quit Smoking ?

There are a number of effective strategies that assist smokers in quitting. One successful method is for the smoker to adopt a self-care approach to changing his/her behavior. This strategy involves making some general lifestyle changes in the areas of stress, exercise, diet, and social support.

Stress Management Many people smoke to relieve tension, stress and to help them relax. Learning positive, stress management techniques instead of smoking can help you handle stress in a healthy way.

Exercise Regular physical activity can have many of the same psychological effects on a person as smoking does. Some of these effects include : increased sense of control, improved ability to relax, more restful sleep, and improved ability to cope with stressful situations. Find an activity that you enjoy, such as walking or bicycling, and incorporate it into your daily schedule.

Nutrition Start taking control of your diet before you quit smoking. This will improve your health, help keep your weight down, and make you feel better.

Social Support Developing a social support system is important in every stop smoking plan. Determine which people in your life will completely support your efforts to stop smoking. Ask them to be a part of your quitting plan and help you in any way they can. Remember that the self-care approach is only one method used to assist smokers in quitting. There are several other approaches. A strategy that works for one person may not be successful for another. Choose the method you feel will be best for you.